Tag Archives: Northern Ontario

Photography

North of Capreol Part 2

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NorthCapreol_0324

After discovering the stream mentioned in the previous post, Jan Winther and I returned late in the afternoon to photograph the series of small waterfalls that are here. When we arrived the sunlight was blowing the highlights on the water. It was a couple hours before we could commence shooting. The above waterfalls was the first location as the stream dropped in elevation making its way to the North River. At the base of the waterfalls it was a mess of downed trees and other junk. I set up to the left of the waterfalls to exclude the mess. Also I like to photograph these type of scenes at a bit of an angle. This gives the water depth and dimension. If you photograph a waterfalls dead on it becomes flat looking. You must create the illusion of depth in your work. I will also do creative sharpening on the foreground to enhance this effect.

Now I had protruding rock on the left along with a good chunk of rock in the foreground. I created a composition of one third of forest and two thirds water falls looking at it vertically. You have to know were the water came from, which you can see through the cedar trees and you have an exit point at lower right in the composition. There is a lot of structure detail in the rocks. The cedar boughs have a color range from light to dark green. Almost looks like light from the sun painting some of the boughs. This helps also to create a very nice composition.

As we progressed into evening a few black flies started to appear. Welcome to Northern Ontario. They mainly hovered around us but did not seem to have any interest in biting us. Well that is it for this week. Thank you for coming by. Until next time happy trails

Photography

North of Capreol

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NorthCapreol_0338

Picking up Jan Winthers, I headed towards Capreol. It was mid morning with a lovely blue sky and warm temperatures. This was a day to go adventuring and find some new photographic opportunities. Arriving in Capreol I headed to the nearest gas station to top off the gas tank. When you head up into wilderness locations always make sure you have a full gas tank. When you get near a half tank it is time to turn around and head back. We spotted a couple older gentlemen chatting by the road. I exited the Ford Explorer and approached them. They soon set me in the right direction and off we went.

We left town on a paved road, passed the turn off to the Wanapitei 11 Indian Reserve and were soon on a gravel sand road with lots of dust. Before I continue I will explain a little about this area. The North River runs in a southerly direction and empties into Wanapitaei Lake at the North End. This being Victoria Day weekend there is lots of folks up here camping and fishing. This is Walleye country. As is typical in Northern Ontario, there is intensive logging occurring here.  It did not seem that long before we came to the North River. Crossing over the bridge I decided to head North.

The North River was still running high from Spring run off. The scenery was great to look at with a lot of high hills. But not much in the way of photographing. Heading North we followed the river. Upon reaching the 45 km the road got rough and washed out. By now it was lunch time. Hauling out the camp chairs, Jan and I enjoyed a leisure bite to eat with the sound of running water beside us. Making our way back down the road with windows open Jan and I heard the sound of running water in the bush. We looked and sure enough you could she a small waterfalls tumbling down through the trees.

Parking the vehicle, we made our way towards the running water and found a series of small waterfalls. This stream came from a lake up above and flowed into the North River. The above composition was one of the scenes I created. The rock to the left was rounded and curved. The water flow followed the rock curvature.  I   used that as my eye in. There is not a lot of open space along this stream bed. The evergreens and cedar have a mixture of old and new growth to give you the yellow and green colors. I placed some cedar boughs on the right for added depth. The water flow at a slow shutter speed created a pattern. There is some orange on the rock above the falls. A touch of green reflecting into the water. All in all a nice place to sit on a rock and dangle your feet in the water. Enjoy the sound of running water and the peacefulness that can be found in a spot like this.

Jan Winther has a blog at this address

http://imagesbyjw.com/2013/03/25/bridal-veil-falls-summer/

Well that is it for now. I will continue the journey on my next post. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

The Reflective Side of Nature

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CameronFalls_0286 (2)

 

In this photo a unique lighting has been created. You have the lighting from the late evening sun drenching the rocks  in the background. Thus creating an orange like hue on the rocks. The rocks in the foreground are now darker for the sun no longer affects them. But there is still a touch of lighting on the rocks to the left. This is what helps to add character to a composition. It is the little detail. There is a nice green tinge to the water in the foreground. This is due to the sun striking the evergreens on the far bank and reflecting on the water. If it had been a little earlier the water would be a golden color due to the stronger strength of the sunlight.

This week I received an Award of excellence for one of my compositions.

You can see the selected works here.

http://www.exhibitionswithoutwalls.com/?page_id=5221

Well that is it for this week. For everyone in this part of the world have a safe Victoria weekend. Until next time happy trails

Photography

The Right Flow

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GordonFalls_0154HDR

 

When you can combine falling water with textured rock, a unique scene can be created.

This type of composition is available when the water levels are low. This can be late summer.

I shot the scene late on a clear evening. This way you have even lighting that creates great color.

This late in the evening your shutter speed is anywhere from 1 sec to 30 sec.

The nearer to darkness the slower your shutter speed.

The f-stop is set at f22

The water flows in at the top left and flows out at bottom left.

All that is missing is the sound of running water.

Well that is it for this week. Until next time happy trails

 

Photography, Poetry

Brilliance Of Color

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CameronFalls_0142

Late evening of a warm summer day

The sky is cloudless

The sun is low

Somewhere  on a Northern river

The river runs low

The water is pure

The boulders turn chromatic

The scene becomes dramatic

The slow moving water

Is saturated with color

A reflection of gold

With a splashing of blue

The surrounding rocks

Glowing from the diffusion

Of the surrounding colors

Creating a spell-bounding scene

The evening light is fading

The brilliance of color

Lost in the shadows

Of the oncoming night

The composition above is a dramatic micro scene that can be found in and around waterfalls.

You have to look close to find them.

They are  something to behold.

More so when you have it up on your computer screen

Keep a sharp eye out.

On Saturday May 11, I will be at the Rubber Boots Festival in Noelville , Ontario.

I will be set up from 12:00 to 6:00 in the arena with my photographic works

Along with my books.

For more info on the Rubber Boot Festival  go here

http://rubberbootsfestival.com/festival-2013/

While I was in Noelville I checked out the Backstreet Gallery

Great gallery to visit.

http://frcic.com/the-backstreet-gallery/

Well that is it for now.

The weather is beautiful here now

Until next time happy trails

Photography

Missing Ball

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FrenchRiver_2903

I came upon this composition on the French River one late summer morning. The rock structure in front of me was fabulous. It had color and a great amount of texture to go with it. I also put a bit of green grass in the foreground to add contrast. There was an island in front of me. I used a small portion of this island as my background. There is lots of color on and around theses rock formations. In between the water was calm. This gave me great reflections to tie in everything from front to back. You can also see the bottom of the river in the foreground for a nice effect. When I first looked at this composition I noticed a small beach ball by the grass, floating in the water. I can not remember whether I had seen this when I took the composition.

Thank you everyone for stopping by. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Morning On The French

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FrenchRiver_3046

A beautiful late summer morning on the French River, French River Provincial Park. As you can see in the composition above the early morning light is illuminating the scene on the left. The rocks on the far shore are now highlighted by the morning light. A touch of mist to add to the mood.You will notice that there are rocks in shadow where the sun has yet to appear.

Our snowstorm is over and looking forward to warmer weather now. Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails
Photography

The Color of Water

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Johnscreek_0069HDR

A slowly setting sun.Golden reflections on the water.Lovely shaped rocks with lichens growing on the rock surface.In the foreground you can see the water flowing into the small pool.The curvature of the rocks along with the rock surface’s smoothness give added detail to this composition. The rocks are now glowing with color from the late evening sun.

My latest book Spirit of The River is now available in Apple’s iBookstore

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/id629979098

My first book A Wilderness Experience Through Photos and Poetry is also available in Apple’s iBookstore.

Photography

Fine Art Composition

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MasseyChutesHDR0104

Strolling along the Aux Sauble River at Chutes Provincial Park, Massey Onario on a late Fall morning, I came across this little scene by the river’s edge. It had all the makings of a good composition. It was a cloudy day with the sun breaking through now and again. This is a very tight shot that we have here. The reddish to orange colored vegetation was used as a frame for the left side and foreground. The rocks on the upper right hand side are a lovely chocolate color with a unique pattern. The flowing water came from the main part of the river and channelled between the rocks to give character to the flowing water.

I attended the Arts After Five last Wednesday at the Rockz. This event was presented by The Sudbury Arts Council. This was a chance for local people involved in the art community to get together in a social get together. Vicki Gilhula, president of SAC did a great job of putting this together. Andy Lowe provided the music for the evening.

I met some wonderful folks that evening. Along with Vicki Gilhula, I chatted with artist Gord Drysdale and many others.

Andy Lowe has a page on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/andy.lowe3?fref=ts

Gord Drysdale’s website

http://www.gordondrysdale.com/

Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

Beam of Light

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Mile31051

Strolling along the riverbank of the Aux Sauble River, North of Massey Ontario. It was late afternoon. I saw this beam of light highlighting a clump of grass on the far shoreline. Keeping the composition tight and keeping the rocks on the left for structure. Looking behind that clump of grass there was vegetation being highlighted by the beam of light. I will also tell you that there are high hills on either side of the river. That is why you will get these beams of light in late afternoon. By evening this area will be in shadow.

The water is slowly moving here. A nice yellow reflection is cast on the river. I quickly set up my tripod and Canon 7D. In situations like this you must be quick. You do not know how long you have to get the composition. It could be a minute or ten minutes. So speed is of ultimate importance. I do not have to think how I will compose a shot. I do it automatically. Another factor when photographing along rivers like this is that the wind is not as much of a problem as opposed to being on a lake with a wide expanse of water.

Well that is it for now. Thanks for the comments and dropping by. Spring is just around the corner. Until next time happy trails.